PROPOSALS to ease parking congestion in the town centre this Christmas are already being put in place.

Surrey Heath Borough Council has created a working group to draw up ideas that will keep a steady flow of traffic moving around Camberley, thus preventing any tailbacks as motorists queue to get into the car parks in Knoll Road and Pembroke Broadway.

Last December, the council brought in half-price parking on Sundays in the run-up to Christmas and opened the council’s car park to the public at weekends to entice more shoppers to the town. The move worked and traders reported an increase in footfall.

Now the local authority wants to take it even further by converting private car parks in vacant office blocks into parking areas for either shoppers or shop workers and introducing a park and ride scheme.

Frank Gunn, parking services manager at the council, said there were many elements to the proposals being considered.

He added: “We have still got to decide on park and ride, which has three options.

“There is the public park and ride for people who go shopping, there are the people who would use it for working in the town so we would have staff bussed in, freeing up parking spaces for shoppers, and then there’s a Saturday park and ride for weekend shoppers.”

The council maintains a car park in Yorktown, which accommodated a park and ride scheme when The Meadows was first built.

Should such a scheme be given the green light this year, it is expected to be based here.

Mr Gunn has discussed the proposals with retailers and the Surrey Chambers of Commerce.

He applauded the working party for doing a great job and believes the proposals will bring huge benefits to the town.

“The use of private parking spaces was very successful last year,” he said. “It got a number of workers out of the public parking spaces freeing up the spaces for customer use.

“With regards to the success of park and ride, you just have to look at which areas around the country have adopted the scheme and how it works to see it’s a great idea.”

Alan Kirkland of Southern Road and Charles Street Residents’ Association said he would welcome any plans to alleviate the parking problems in Camberley town centre.

However, he warned the council against thinking it would be the total solution.

He said: “I can only observe as a person who lives next to the town centre, but there seems to be less people coming into Camberley.

“There are not many new shops in Park Street being proposed.

“Next are moving out of the centre to bigger premises, as are Virgin.

“Where are the new shops to attract the shoppers? Overall, I don’t feel that The Atrium is an improvement.

“I don’t think it’s going to increase the look of Camberley and the amount of people coming to Camberley.

“When it comes to parking what the council has to do is cater for the possible eventuality, but parking isn’t going to attract people to Camberley, it’s what’s on offer that’s going to attract shoppers.”

Marc Davidson, of Marc Daniel Hair Salon in Park Street, did not think the public would use a park and ride scheme and said he had viable alternative options the council should consider.

“Park and ride is a waste of time, people will not use it,” he said.

“Guildford has a park and ride because it is a designated shopping centre.

“Windsor has a park and ride because it is a designated shopping centre. Why bother with a park and ride here in Camberley?

“We have to create a unique selling point of Camberley. We have to sell that dream of coming to shop in Camberley if we are to be successful.”